


Pink Heels and Chocolate Cake

by JemTheKingOfSass



Series: Single dads & sakura blossoms [1]
Category: Free!
Genre: Alternate Universe, Eventual RH in this verse, Gen, HaruGou bffs, Makoto and Sousuke are elementary school kids, Rin and Haru never met as children, Single father!Haruka, Single father!Rin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 10:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,611
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14018631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JemTheKingOfSass/pseuds/JemTheKingOfSass
Summary: She looked at Makoto and Sousuke, who pulled out the signs they had designed last weekend. The posterboards were adorned with drawings of Japanese flags, cherry blossoms, and gold medals. They bore simple phrases written boldly: “Go Dad!”, “Stroke Stroke Stroke”, “Matsuoka Rin is the best!”, and “Fly-ers do it better!”. Gou read the signs out loud. When she got to the last one, she heard Haruka let out a soft snort.





	Pink Heels and Chocolate Cake

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maybeillride](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maybeillride/gifts).



> This is a little fic for Teresa, who was kind enough to edit the real story in this verse (Pt 2 is the main part, which will be posted roughly around the time that the _sakura_ are in full bloom). I know you love Gou as much as I do! (♥‿♥✿)

 

Gou power-walked through the Kōtō neighborhood towards her destination. “Why did I stop at the store, I knew I didn’t have time. I don’t want to be late today of all days, darn it! Walk faster, Gou! Oh, I don’t want to run in these heels but oh, I don’t want to be late.”

 

The crimson-haired twenty-eight year old muttered to herself as she upped her pace to a mild sprint, purse swaying precariously from her elbow, both hands filled with shopping bags. Finally, she reared to a stop in front of her destination, which was a lovely, white apartment building facing the Ooyoko River. She somehow managed to wrangle the door open with her forearms and some hip action, and she entered the bright lobby. She reached towards the buzzer for flat 2B before remembering the whole intercom system was down for repairs, and had been for weeks already.

 

Gou sighed quietly, then hauled herself and her load up the staircase to the next floor. She turned to the left, took a few brisk steps, and knocked firmly on the door, precisely three times. Without waiting for a response, she opened the door and stepped inside one of her favorite places in Tokyo.

 

She carefully toed off her brand new shoes, blush-colored, strappy, and too high of a heel for dealing with the heat of July, but Gou enjoyed gaining height whenever she could. Her brother would lecture her about high heels hurting her ankles and damaging the tendons in her feet, her boyfriend would whistle and appreciate the length of her legs if he noticed her footwear at all. However, the man who lived in _this_ home would admire the craftsmanship of the sandal and how the color complimented her hair, despite the notion that redheads cannot pull off a pink hue. Not to mention his son, who would tell her she looked pretty, even if she wore mismatched socks and a trash bag dress while birds nested on her head. 

 

Entering the flat, Gou followed the voices to the living room, where they would spend the evening and ensuing weekend watching the FINA World Championships from Budapest, Hungary. The time delay was perfect for once, with the events starting on Tokyo-time right after the work day ended on a Friday, which meant they could stay up late enough to watch all the heats and spend Saturday and Sunday watching the semifinals and finals.

 

“ _Konbanwa_ , Haruka-senpai! Do you have the event schedule ready?” Gou demanded cheerfully, as she walked into the living room. She was met with the excited young faces of her nephew and the boy who lived in the flat, who had crossed paths over the years due to Gou and Haruka being close, but became best friends when their third grade year had begun and they found themselves in the same classroom. 

 

The boys bounced up to greet her, offering a hug and a kiss apiece. Gou realized these days were numbered since her nephew, Sousuke, was turning nine years old in two months time. Despite his father being a touch-starved maniac who Gou was convinced would die if he did not give and receive enough human contact, Sousuke was more aloof and doled out his affection carefully. Gou was always grateful for anything she got from him and treated each exchange like the special moment that it was. On the other hand, Makoto might hug her forever if she allowed him to, and Gou would _definitely allow him to_. She could rarely squeeze an embrace out of his father, so she would take advantage of any of his son’s cuddles as long as she could.

 

“Auntie Gou, it’s almost time for the meet to start!” Sousuke said, as he bounced on the balls of his feet in anticipation. “When’s my dad’s first heat? It’s the 100 fly, right? Or is it the 200 fly? I think the freestyle stuff is usually later, and the medley relay is always _always_ the last event.”

 

Makoto looked expectantly at Gou. “Do you have the schedule? Or should I get my dad?”

 

Gou smiled and gave both boys another huge hug. “Let’s find your dad. What is he doing anyway? Is he responsible for the amazing smell in here?”

 

“He’s in the kitchen, finishing the cake,” Makoto explained, as his eyes lit up. “He made chocolate cake with chocolate frosting!”

 

“Sounds like you picked the flavors, Makoto,” Gou laughed and her burgundy eyes sparkled with mirth. “I don’t know, Sou, that sounds like too much chocolate.”

 

Sousuke nodded grimly. “I wonder if I should eat it. We don’t eat a lot of sweets at home. What do you think, Auntie Gou?”

 

“Hmmm,” Gou tilted her head as she walked towards the kitchen and poked her head through the doorway. “What do you think Haruka-senpai? Should Sou eat some cake?”

 

The black-haired man at the table looked up from administering the finishing touches with his piping bag. “Drop the -senpai, Gou. I’ve been telling you that for years. And I think it will be fine, but Sousuke whatever your Aunt Gou says is what matters.”

 

Her eyes lit up with glee. “Then cake you shall have, Sou! Your dad isn’t here and it’s not like we’re forcing _him_ to eat it. Not that I would anyways, then I’d have to hear about the workout he’d be forced to do the next day to work it all off.” Gou lowered her voice, made a very serious face, and dramatically planted her hands on her hips in an attempt to mimic the professional swimmer. She furrowed her eyebrows to complete her transformation. “‘I have to stay in world-class shape, muscles like mine are only earned through discipline and hard work.’ How was that?”

 

Sousuke and Makoto were bent over giggling. 

 

“That was good, Auntie Gou! But you forgot to say _how far_ you would have to run to burn off that slice of cake!” Sousuke crowed.

 

Haru watched the interaction and shook his head. “Your father is a great swimmer. Whatever he does works for him. Plus gentlemen, that just means more cake for the two of you.”

 

“I still can’t believe you haven’t met my brother!” Gou stated unhappily. “You are two of my important people and somehow it hasn’t fallen into place. He’s just so busy. I can’t wait until he retires and maybe slows down a bit.”

 

“I’m sure he’s doing the best he can,” Haru responded, putting down the icing and moving to rinse his hands in the sink. He watched the two boys scamper out of the kitchen, likely bored by the adult turn in the conversation. “You normally have nothing but glowing things to say about him.”

 

“Oh he’s wonderful, Haruka! I don’t mean to imply that he isn’t. He’s an incredibly devoted father and committed athlete and he does so much around the community and for his neighbors. It’s that he doesn’t take enough time for himself. He’s lost himself before, he doesn’t do well when he feels isolated, and so I worry about him,” Gou tried to explain her thoughts, but did not want to paint Rin in a bad light to someone he had never met. She was convinced he and Haruka would connect if they managed to ever meet. Something about Rin’s energetic fire and Haruka’s calming flow would balance each other so nicely, on top of the fact that when she imagined them introducing themselves, her mind painted quite an aesthetically pleasing picture. 

 

Gou cocked her head to the side and bit down on her bottom lip, as she mentally inserted Rin standing at the sink next to Haruka. They were both so tall and handsome, both with such nice swimming bodies and swimming _muscles_. Where Rin was loud and outgoing and forceful, Haruka was quiet and tranquil and resolute. They both really liked to put their foot down and pretend that no force of nature could ever move them from that position, but Gou figured that small wrinkle would iron itself out somehow. They did not have to date, although she definitely saw that as a happy possibility, but at the very least they would be friends. She knew it. Now she just had to get her brother to stop moving, stop agreeing, stop doing for other people, and take a moment to think of his personal life. 

 

Haruka placed a notepad filled with his tight, tidy handwriting on the table in front of her. “Here’s the event schedule. His first race is the medley relay, don’t tell Sou. It’s the last men’s final on Sunday, but it’s event 1 and has 4 heats. Your brother and his team are in heat 3. We have four minutes until heat 1 begins. Mikoshiba’s first swim is event 3, the Individual Medley, and he’s in heat 5. Will your mother make it in time for your brother's and your boyfriend's first events?”

 

“No,” Gou answered quickly, as she pulled out her phone to double-check when her mother had confirmed the time she would be arriving at the Nanase flat. “She said 7:00pm, so she’ll miss the first hour or so, but she’s staying with me and Sou all weekend so she’ll be over here with us the rest of the time.”

 

Haru appeared pleased at that news which thrilled Gou. “I enjoy your mother and I think Makoto feels he has a bonus grandmother now.”

 

Gou joined Haruka on his way into the living room, where Makoto and Sousuke were sprawled on the floor showing each other their perfect swim form. 

 

“Mako, look, you have to throw your arms forward like this. You can totally do it. It kinda looks like synchronized drowning until you get the hang of it, but once you really get your butt moving, it’s so fun! You feel powerful, like a whale shark or something!”

 

“I don’t know, Sou, watch. I know you can do the backstroke already but are you as good as this?”

 

The adults watched the spastic arm movements and floor humping with barely contained laughter. This was clearly critical stuff, and Gou and Haruka would not dismiss it by chuckling at them. Haruka switched the input and plugged in the HDMI cable to connect his laptop to the television for access to the live streaming FINA feed. Gou raced back into the kitchen to fetch a few serving bowls for the snacks she had brought, as well as the shopping bags from the entryway.

 

She sorted the food and placed everything on the low table between the couches. She looked at Makoto and Sousuke, who pulled out the signs they had designed last weekend. The posterboards were adorned with drawings of Japanese flags, cherry blossoms, and gold medals. They bore simple phrases written boldly: “ **Go Dad!** ”, “ **Stroke Stroke Stroke** ”, “ **Matsuoka Rin is the best!** ”, and “ **Fly-ers do it better!** ”. Gou read the signs out loud. When she got to the last one, she heard Haruka let out a soft snort.

 

Her eyebrows pulled together as she observed her nephew and pointed to the poster on the end. “Sou, where did you hear that phrase?” 

 

He looked innocently at the sign, rereading what he had written. “Remember when we went to TTISC a few weeks ago, because you had that date with Mikoshiba-san and you wanted to get ready in the ladies bathroom before he was done with training? Well, I was listening to Dad’s teammates who were hanging out on the benches. Sakai Masato said that exact phrase and it made everyone laugh so loudly I thought it must be a swimming thing.”

 

Makoto’s face was flushed with guilt. “Sou didn’t write it, I did. He told me and I thought it sounded like a cool thing butterfly swimmers must say to each other. Is it okay?”

 

Gou eyes widened as she recalled feeling secure in abandoning her nephew in the vicinity of his father, amongst a hoard of grown men, when clearly she had let him loose into a pack of wolves. She wondered if Seijūro had been anywhere near that conversation and how frustrated she was allowed to be at him. And where had Rin been? Her thought train was derailed by the chortling coming from her left side. 

 

“Gou,” Haruka tried to compose his face back to his usual deadpan and spoke under his breath for her ears only. “They don’t know exactly what it means. It’s okay. From the way you describe your brother, I bet he’d think it was amusing. Fathers and sons have their own style of relationship.”

 

Gou peered over at the two boys who nervously awaited her judgment. She relaxed her features and beamed her contagious smile at them. “It’s fine, you two! I’m over-reacting to nothing, just being a silly auntie. Those are all great signs, onii-chan would love them! Let’s take a picture and send it to him!” She shot a grateful wink to the unflappable man standing next to her. 

 

Haruka inclined his head, then crouched down to click on the proper link. Suddenly the Danube Arena’s long course pool filled the television screen, including an intricate mosaic tiled over one entire wall spelling out ‘Budapest’. Heat 1 of event 1 was just about underway. The boys craned their necks trying to see past the picture that was being projected, in a fruitless attempt to locate their favorite professional swimmer waiting with his medley relay team. They grabbed their signs, which triggered the adults to cover their ears, ready for the loud cheering from the floor. 

 

Gou wondered every time this happened if Sousuke or Makoto knew that her brother could not hear them, regardless of how high in volume they shouted at the screen. Perhaps Sousuke figured his dad was connected to him in such a way he would instinctively know that he was being supported by his little family. Maybe another emotional tug would pull on Rin once their mother joined the group, and he would feel a surge of love and affection within him. She decided to join the boys, silently reinforcing their encouragement, as she hoped Rin would feel her adoration too. As soon as the heat 3 teams were introduced and she glimpsed her brother’s face behind the starting block, she closed her eyes and focused on sending him good thoughts of health and success and enjoyment. 

 

When the splash of the backstrokers dropping into the pool alerted her, Gou opened her eyes. She peeked over at Haruka. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, chin resting atop folded hands, eyes completely focused on the action about to transpire before him. As she fondly watched him, a powerful thought swept through her. Haruka was significant to her. He had been since they met back in high school, hitting it off immediately, growing even closer after Gou moved back to Tokyo from Kyoto a few years ago. She realized she thought of Haruka much like a brother, caring about him nearly as much as her own flesh and blood. 

 

Gou looked up to see her brother mount the starting block in anticipation of the relay exchange. She glanced back over at Haruka, who was motionless with rapt attention. As she turned her gaze back to the swimming, she pondered the fairly intimate lifestyle knowledge she had about both of these men, both raising children but not raising them with the children’s mothers. Possibly one day, the unique and steadfast man beside her would be more than one of her best friends. 

 

“Haruka-nii-chan,” Gou murmured to herself, as she watched Rin execute a perfect dive into the water.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> RH is definitely endgame in this verse. In Pt 2, Rin is the main character _and_ he and Haruka meet and interact, all good things (plus Haruka plays with Rin’s hair, which is what inspired this whole AU believe it or not). ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ ✿ 
> 
> Fun fact: Sakai Masato was the 200m butterfly silver medalist for Japan in Rio 2016.
> 
>  


End file.
